Motorola: Android Help on the Way
By yearend, the U.S. handset maker plans to roll out several smartphones based on the Android operating system spearheaded by Google.
Motorola’s first-quarter results gave investors scant cause for glee. In the period that ended in March, Motorola smarted from a lack of customer-pleasing handsets and a loss of market share to rivals.
But Motorola executives tried to reassure analysts and shareholders that hope is on the way—in the form of handsets sporting software created by a Google-led consortium. Before yearend, Motorola plans to introduce several mid- to high-end smartphones based on the Android operating system developed by the Google (GOOG)-backed Open Handset Alliance. "We remain on track to having Android devices in the fourth quarter, for the holiday season," Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha said during a conference call with investors.
The right handsets could be a salve for a company that for several years has failed to follow its best-selling Razr with equally enticing devices. Specs and photos of several handsets believed to be Motorola’s Android prototypes have recently surfaced on the Web. One, reportedly code-named Calgary, features a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and a touchscreen. Another, called Ironman, is a BlackBerry-like messaging device.
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